Trolley-wheel support.



No. 684,136. Patented Oct. 8, 190:.

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TBOLLEY WHEEL SUPPORT.

(Application filed In. 8, 1901.)

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Unirnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES TOOHTERMAN, OF BROOKLYN, NE\V YORK, ASSIGNOR OF TXVO FIFTHS TO HENRY XVEILER AND CHARLES S. HIRSCH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TROLLEY'-WHEEL SUPPORT:

SPECIFECATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 684,136, dated October 8, 1901.

Application filed March 8, 1901. Serial No. 50,277. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES TOOHTERMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, borough of Brooklyn, Kings county, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-VVheel Supports, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

In the operation of electrically-propelled or so-called trolley-cars considerable trouble and annoyance is caused by the trolley-wheel slipping or moving from engagement with the overhead feed-wire. Such disengagement is caused in part by reason of the curves and irregularities in the feed-wire and the nonadj ustability of the trolley-wheel to automatically adapt itself thereto.

Having such facts in mind, it has been the object of my invention to provide an improved means for supporting the trolleywheel whereby it will be movable in a lateral direction and also be capable of rotating at various angles, so as to readily and automatically adapt itself to the curves and irregularities in the feed-wire,and so maintain its engagement therewith. This object I secure by means of the novel construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter set forth in detail and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a double trolley pole or arm having a trolley-wheel supported in connection therewith in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the connections between the trolley-wheel and the trolleypole. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the invention applied to a single trolley-pole. Fig. 4 is a detail view similar to that of Fig. 2, showing another feature of my invention; and

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the construction shown in Fig. 4, showing different positions that may be assumed by the trolley-wheel.

In said drawings, 1 indicates a double trolley-pole, which is of ordinary construction and adapted to be mounted upon the top of a car in the usual manner. This pole is provided at the top of each of its arms 2 2 with a tubular cross-head 3, in which the opposite ends of the wheel-carrying shaft 4 are supported to be capable of a longitudinal sliding movement, the distance between the inner or adjacent ends of the tubular heads being sufficient to permit of a considerable lateral movement of the trolley-Wheel between the same.

The shaft 4: in the present instance shown is formed in two parts or sections t at, each of which is provided at its inner end with a vertical arm 5, which arms are connected at their upper ends by a bolt or spindle 6, on which the trolley-wheel (indicated at 7) is mounted to rotate. This construction serves to support the trolley-wheel in a position with its upper edge sufficiently high above the tubular cross-heads 3 as to prevent liability of the latter striking against the overhead crosswires or supporting-brackets in the event of any of the parts being bent or out of their normal position. I

In order to prevent turning of the shaft 4: in its bearings, so as to retain the arms 5 in their upright position, I provide said shaft at its outer ends with a head or disk 8, having transverse grooves 9 therein, which are entered by longitudinally-arranged ribs 10 on the inner walls of the tubular cross-heads 3. This construction serves to hold the shaft against turning or rotary movement and at the same time permits longitudinal or endwise sliding movement of the same with the supported trolley-wheel.

As a means to yieldingly hold the trolleywheel in its normal central position between the cross heads 3 3 I have located coiled springs 11 11 in said cross-heads, with one end bearing against one of the end walls of the latter and their opposite ends bearing against the heads 8 on the shaft. Being thus laterally supported in central position, the trolleywheel will readily adapt itself to any lateral irregularities in the feed-Wire and be returned to its normal position by the action of the springs.

The lateral adjustment of the trolley-wheel, as above referred to, while desirable under all circumstances, is especially effective on a straight track where the bends and irregularities in the feed-wire are not particularly acute; but in passing on curves where the line of the feed-wire contains more or less sharp angles and varies considerably from the central line of the track it is desirable that a further adjustment of the trolley-wheel be permitted to conform to such more pronounced angles and irregularities. Such further adjustment I secure by the construction illustrated in Figs. 4: and 5, in which the trol- Icy-wheel is shown as being supported by a frame or bracket 12, which is connected with the adjacent ends of the shaft-sections 4 4 through the medium of pivoted links 14 14. With this construction, when the trolleywheel is in its normal position the links let 14 are held in a straight line central with the shaft-sections by the action of the springs 11 11; but when the wheel passes on a curve in a feed-wire it will adapt itself to the angle thereof, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5, the springs 11 11 being of such tension as to readily yield under slight pressure and permit of a turning movement of the trolleywheel and its supporting-bracket, as shown.

Referring to Fig. 3, I have shown the application of my invention to a single trolley pole or arm. In this instance the pole (indicated at 15) is provided with a U-shaped bracket 16, upon the opposite arms of which are mounted the tubular cross-heads 3 3, in which latter the ends of the shaft 4 are supported in the manner as before described.

Having thus set forth my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination, of a trolley-pole provided with two tubular cross-heads, a trolley- Wheel, and a shaft carrying said wheel and beingsupported to have a longitudinal movement in said cross-heads.

2. The combination, of a trolley-pole provided with two tubular cross-heads, a trolleywheel, a shaft carrying said wheel and being supported to have a longitudinal movement in said cross-heads, and means for yieldingly holding said shaft with the trolley-wheel in a normal position relative to the cross-heads.

3. The combination, of a trolley-pole pro vided with two tubular cross-heads, a trolley-; wheel, a shaft carrying saidwheel and ber 5,0 7 movement in said cross-heads, and springs 3 ing supported to have a longitudinal sliding located in the latter and engaging with a. con-'1- nected part of the shaft to yieldingly hold the. 7 latter with the supported wheel in a certain a l m 4. The combination, of a trolley-pole pronormal position.

vided with a tubular cross-head, a shaft su'p ported to have a longitudinal movement'in spindle carried thereby in a position above on said spindle.

5. The combination, of a trolley-pole pro vided with two bearing supports 0r heads, a

trolley-wheel and a supporting-bracket therefor, and two shaft-sections having a pivotal link connection at their inner or adjacent ends with said wheel-supporting bracket and." at their outer ends being supportedin the bearing-heads to have a longitudinal move-- ment therein, for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, of a trolley-pole pro-' vided with two bearing supports or heads, a

trolley-wh'eeland asupporting-bracket there-'- r K for, two shaft-sections having a pivotal link connection at their inner or adjacent'ends with said wheel -supporting bracket and at their outer ends being supported in the bear-;

ing-heads to have a longitudinal movement therein, and means for acting upon the shaft sections and yieldingly holding the trolley Wheel in a normal position with its axis cen-- tral with the axis of the shaft-sections, for the purpose set forth. a

CHARLES TO CHTERMAN/ \Vitnesses:

CHAS. F. DANE, HERBERT E. DANE. 

